Reimagining Test Season: From Fear-Based Prep to Purposeful Practice
I’ve led the bootcamps, hyped the rallies, even helped produce test prep music videos. I understand the pressure—and why we double down when so much is at stake. But what truly moves the needle isn’t last-minute strategies—it’s daily instruction rooted in rigor, belief, and joy.
Every spring, a familiar rhythm takes hold in schools across the country: the countdown to state testing. Hallways get plastered with motivational posters. Class periods are carved up for "bootcamps" and review packets. Students are promised snacks, parties, raffles, and sometimes even bikes if they show up and try their best.
And in schools that serve historically underserved students, the pressure hits different. It’s louder. More urgent. More desperate.
I know this because I was part of it.
As a classroom teacher, and later as a high school administrator, I helped lead the charge. We organized test prep rallies. We handed out incentives. We held Saturday School prep sessions. And yes—more than once—we rewrote lyrics to popular songs and filmed test-themed music videos which may or may not have gone viral on YouTube.
We did it out of love. Out of a desire to show our students we believed in them. Out of a belief that we were helping them win.
But in hindsight? All that hype did very little to move the needle.
What I didn’t fully understand then—but deeply understand now—is that none of those performative efforts could compensate for what our students really needed: rigorous, joyful, culturally responsive instruction all year long. They needed belief in their brilliance on ordinary days—not just during testing season.
And yet, I also understand why we end up here.
The pressure isn’t imagined. It’s real.
In some states, students can be retained in third grade if they don’t pass a reading test.
In others, students can’t graduate without passing a high-stakes exam.
School and district ratings are publicly published, tied to state funding, and can result in state takeovers or accreditation losses.
It’s no wonder educators resort to what feels urgent—even when it isn’t what’s most impactful.
That’s what makes this moment so complex. Because I’m not here to shame educators who are in survival mode. I’ve been there. I was there.
But I am here to ask:
What might change if we shifted from fear-based preparation to purpose-filled instruction?
What could happen if schools focused less on last-minute cramming and more on building a culture of intellectual rigor, high expectations, and deep student engagement every single day?
What would it take to disrupt the systems, structures, and policies that make test prep culture feel like the only option?
At The Teaching Nerd, we believe:
That all students - especially those in historically underserved schools - deserve rich, empowering learning—not just test prep.
That educators need time, support, and strategic coaching to build cultures of excellence.
That test scores are a lagging indicator—not a leading purpose.
We work with state education agencies, districts, and schools to redesign systems that reflect trust over compliance, rigor with joy, and belief over fear.
Because when we reimagine the structures that produce panic every spring, we open the door to something much more powerful: a school culture that sustains both students and the adults who serve them.
If you're ready to explore how to move beyond survival mode and into sustainable, equity-centered practice, let's talk.